Considering a SMALL Skylake build. Would love advice.

[TemjinGold]

So with Skylake coming out soon, the itch to finally completely rebuild my venerable machine is surfacing. I'd been looking at mini-ITX stuff and would really love the idea of a tiny machine if I didn't need to compromise much:

1) I don't ever use more than 1 gpu but I do want to keep the option to do so (and a high powered one at that).

2) I don't think I can part with my psu.

3) I noticed a lot of itx boards have only 2 dimm slots. I do have 4 dimms for my ram but if I need to move to DDR4, going to 2 dimms isn't terrible.

So with all that in mind, are there any Haswell boards I should really check out as a precursor to what I might expect from Skylake? I know they won't be the same, I'm just more looking to educate myself on what's currently possible. Additionally, what mini-ITX cases would you guys recommend? I don't mind paying well for quality but would really like something small and well-built. I don't do water, so it would also need to be quiet and cool with air.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Well look at my current Haswell setup. I will upgrade one of my MiniITX to Skylake as well.

Silverstone SG08B Chassis with a 600W PSU.
EVGA Z87 Stinger.
2½" Crucial M500 480GB.
2x 8GB Crucial Ballistix Sport VLP.
i5 4670.
EVGA GTX980 SC.
And I will add an Intel 7260AC WIFI mPCIe to it when I pass it to my better half.

She current uses:
Silverstone SG08B
Intel H77 DH77DF
2½" Intel 320 300GB.
2x8GB something I dont remember.
i5 3570K.
Zotac GTX680.

With my Skylake build I will buy a MX200 500GB M.2 SSD if nothing better comes along. Then I dont need any SATA cables or the SATA power cable.

But its really MiniITX with everything. I cant imagine building anything bigger than MiniITX again. Our HTPC will go from MiniITX to Skylake NUC later.

 

[asendra]

I'm rocking a 4770k @ 4,4Ghz with a H90, 16gb ram, GTX 770, all in a Node 304 and I'm pretty pleased with how this build turned out. I highly recommend it.

As you say, only real limits of an mini ITX is no SLI, 16gb ram max (at least without paying and arm and a leg for 16gb modules) and the number of hard drives you can fit. The node 304 can fit 6 hard drives without GPU or 4 with one.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Intel doesnt support 16GB DDR3 modules.

But else yes, MiniITX with DDR4 and you can have 32 or 64GB.

No multiple graphic cards and limited storage drives is the only downside as you write. Hardly an issue for most and the benefits of MiniITX is amazing

 

[jaydee]

I don't know how looking at LGA1150 Haswell boards are going to help you?

I think all you can really evaluate now, is the case/cooling and start thinking about how much you want to spend and what performance you're looking for. While you will certainly easily be able to go smaller/cooler/quieter/more efficient than what's in your sig, it might be tough see a discernible performance increase unless you get a 4c/8t CPU, or 4c/4t 'K' processor with a 'Z' motherboard and overclock. These are the kind of questions you should be evaluating at this point IMO.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Looking at LGA1150 boards is fine.

Skylake mobos will more or less be the same. Plus extra M.2 slots, mainly on the back of the mobos for MiniITX.

 

[Genx87]

I just built this 3 weeks ago. Bought some new parts, reused other parts. Impressed with how it all came together and performs.

i5 4690K
Antec ISK600 mITX case
2x8GB
ASUS H97i-Plus
EVGA GTX 770OC
Antec 750Watt
Samsung 840 250GB SSD
WD 500GB 7200RPM

 

[tential]

I don't get the small case fad. No thanks. I'll get a big case so I don't have to worry about what graphics card I want. I can get Crossfire Fury X without crying about not having enough fan slots or space in my case or whatever.

 

[Sweepr]

I'd love to try a mini-ITX build with a 35W Skylake and something like a Geforce GTX970.
Small, power efficient yet fast enough to run anything you throw at it.

 

[Genx87]

I don't get the small case fad. No thanks. I'll get a big case so I don't have to worry about what graphics card I want. I can get Crossfire Fury X without crying about not having enough fan slots or space in my case or whatever.

If you are going dual GPUs then yes, the small case thing is not for you.

This was my first small case build. Going forward won't do another mid or full tower build again. So nice not having to find room for a large case.

 

[Headfoot]

Agreed on going M.2, saves space in a small build. Performance benefits would be a nice side benefit.

I find AIO coolers allow you to get equal to or better than high end air cooling performance but in a package thats easy to place in a mini itx build.

 

[coolpurplefan]

The first time I looked at mini ITX, there weren't many models that took a full-sized PSU and the selection of coolers was also bleak. Now, there's more flexibility except I didn't find motherboards with the same kind of audio (Realtek ALC 1150) as I have now. If I could find a mini-ITX case that takes a reasonably-sized video card, full-size PSU and a good heatpipe cooler for the CPU and a motherboard with real high definition sound, I'd go for it.

 

[asendra]

I don't get the small case fad. No thanks. I'll get a big case so I don't have to worry about what graphics card I want. I can get Crossfire Fury X without crying about not having enough fan slots or space in my case or whatever.

I don't get spending +1500$ in GPUs even if you got the money, but hey. ¯\_(&#12484_/¯

Different priorities and all.

 

[Lonyo]

If you are going dual GPUs then yes, the small case thing is not for you.

This was my first small case build. Going forward won't do another mid or full tower build again. So nice not having to find room for a large case.

You can also fit a single full size GPU in small cases. 13" ones.

I have a Coolermaster C120 and Silverstone ML07b and both will fit an HD7950 tri-fan design. Both are MiniITX cases with different configurations.

The Coolermaster tax a full ATX PSU and up to 4 3.5" drives or 3+1 Optical (or can use 2.5" drives).
The Silverstone takes 2x2.5" drives, 1x3.5" drive and a slot load optical.

You don't miss out on that much from (some) smaller cases. But they are a bit bigger than super small cases, obviously.

 

[ShintaiDK]

The first time I looked at mini ITX, there weren't many models that took a full-sized PSU and the selection of coolers was also bleak. Now, there's more flexibility except I didn't find motherboards with the same kind of audio (Realtek ALC 1150) as I have now. If I could find a mini-ITX case that takes a reasonably-sized video card, full-size PSU and a good heatpipe cooler for the CPU and a motherboard with real high definition sound, I'd go for it.

Look at EVGAs Stinger series for example in terms of sound.

 

[Lonyo]

The first time I looked at mini ITX, there weren't many models that took a full-sized PSU and the selection of coolers was also bleak. Now, there's more flexibility except I didn't find motherboards with the same kind of audio (Realtek ALC 1150) as I have now. If I could find a mini-ITX case that takes a reasonably-sized video card, full-size PSU and a good heatpipe cooler for the CPU and a motherboard with real high definition sound, I'd go for it.

Why full size PSU? You can get 600w SFX PSUs which is enough for any card+CPU you would want in a smaller case. Even 450w is enough for a non-overclocked HD4460 and HD7950.

 

[TemjinGold]

Thanks for the variety of recommendations! One more thing: I haven't used my dvd drive in ages though for some reason I'm leery of losing it. Have you guys missed not having one? I mean, how do you even install Windows without it?

 

[Lil'John]

Starting from bottom of thread upwards.

I haven't had an attached dvd in 3-4 years and don't miss it at all. I have an external one and it installs Windows just fine along with letting me watch my dvd's when needed. Otherwise it is in the closet.

Is the reason for wanting the capability to use a discrete GPU so you can do high effects gaming? I don't recall seeing mention of what you are doing with the computer.

As for form factor, my current mini-ITX build has no dGPU and was doing browsing/movie watching. It is an i5 Haswell(4570S) It is getting "demoted" to doing file server duties and has been replaced with an i3 Broadwell NUC.

The only issue I had with this build was finding the right PSU. At the time of build, I had four drives and most of the "small" PSUs didn't support it

I would actually consider mini-ITX for a "higher end" gaming machine. Drop a top tier card in it like 980, 980ti, or titan x and an i5/i7 cpu then rock out.

I tend to go toward extremes and "dedicated" machines as evidenced by rig in sig(Sandy-E + SLI Titan X) I'm waiting to see what Broad-E or Sky-E bring before demoting Sandy-E to the wife

I have no problems with NUCs for low end facebook gaming and web browsers. I've bought/used then gifted four of them so far(one Haswell Celeron, two Haswell i3s, and the Broadwell i3 above) The only downside I've found with them that isn't obvious was the storage. You aren't going to drop 8TBs in a NUC:'(

 

[ShintaiDK]

Thanks for the variety of recommendations! One more thing: I haven't used my dvd drive in ages though for some reason I'm leery of losing it. Have you guys missed not having one? I mean, how do you even install Windows without it?

Never used an optical (Outside the Wii/Wii U) since 2006.

You can install Windows via an USB stick.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/windows-usb-dvd-download-tool

 

[Genx87]

I just hooked up my BluRay via SATA to install the OS. Once installed closed up the case and havent looked back.

 

[Lonyo]

You can download a (legal) ISO for Windows, and then use a USB drive to make an installer. MS even have their own tool for doing so.
I have an optical for Blurays only, since my smaller PC is a media PC as well. Other than that don't use it really except for reinstalling older games I have on CD. Or for newer games where buying a physical copy is cheaper than digital, which is most, but the majority of recent purchases have been from GoG.

 

[Yuriman]

I'm done with ATX builds, and will only be considering ITX in the future. The age of huge PCs is drawing to a close.

This is the case I used for my most recent build. You can use a standard-size ATX power supply, but your max video card length will be limited to about 240mm, which means you probably won't find anything faster than a GTX970. Cooling-wise, the video card runs a bit warmer than in cases with a mesh panel next to them, and I wouldn't fill the 3.5" HDD bay above the video card if you have something as fast as a 970 installed.

I've seen a lot of high-end gaming builds based on this case. It will accept most any video card, and uses a rise to turn it sideways and save space. Unfortunately, it only takes SFX power supplies, but there are several reasonably priced high quality units available for it.

Something like this Silverstone will be no-compromises, in that you can fit long video cards (and have adequate cooling for them), an ATX power supply, and an optical drive. However, the case is significantly larger than the other two and the layout is much more annoying to work with - you have to remove the power supply to access the motherboard.

This Fractal Design case resolves that problem but is a little larger still. If you don't mind the size, it's a fantasticly usable case.

 

[Yuriman]

Regarding 4 RAM slot boards, I don't think any exist for DDR3. It's possible there may be some, or will be some that use DDR3L or DDR4, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[Arachnotronic]

I'd love to try a mini-ITX build with a 35W Skylake and something like a Geforce GTX970.
Small, power efficient yet fast enough to run anything you throw at it.

:thumbsup:

 

[Berryracer]

I have a feeling that Skylake is very far away, heck we don't even know what clock speeds are going to be offered